Chapter 36
Usagi's Confusion: Is Tuxedo Mask Evil?
In the burning hallways of the palace of the Moon Kingdom, Princess Serenity followed Prince Endymion, calling his name out of desperation. But what no one may know, was that Usagi was dreaming, her heart aching with sorrow, as Luna watched her, wallowing in her denial about fighting the darkness as a princess, but the small cat tried to comfort her to the best of her abilities, but the trauma was far too serious for her to endure, as she also felt the same pain Usagi felt, while Sora couldn't help but feel sympathy for his friend, as he slept.
"Oh, Usagi, I understand how it feels to be upset and afraid. You know that I do," he said quietly, as he turned in his futen and fell asleep again.
The next day at Juban Middle School, Usagi still felt despondent, while everyone else was happy and talked about the positive side of things, when Naru approached her and Sora.
"Check it out, you guys. This ad says a new hair salon opened up in the Juban District," she said.
"It happens to be owned by Kariko Tokoyama, last month's hair designed contest winner," added one of their friends.
"But here's the best part. Hold on to your seat, are you ready?" continued Naru.
"She's having a grand opening and offering free haircuts to everybody who attends," said another of the students.
"Isn't that great? We all have to go!" Naru said excitedly.
"Yeah, sure," replied Usagi, in a deadpan tone.
"What's the matter? You seem like you're really depressed," Naru said.
"It's because someone close to her has been taken by some bad people, Naru," Sora spoke in Usagi's stead.
He left Juban School and met up with his friends, the other girls, and Luna at Hikawa Shrine.
"Usagi hasn't been sleeping well. Just when I think she's finally dozed off, she starts talking in her sleep, and having nightmares about Tuxedo Mask," explained Luna.
"Oh my," Ami said sadly.
"Do we know what happened to Tuxedo Mask after he was abducted by the enemy?" asked Makoto.
"We don't. We only know he's still missing," replied Luna.
"What we already know is that his capture was of different means. I can only assume, they might be torturing him," said Riku.
"And the worst part, is that she's trying to deny her heritage," added Sora.
Luna nodded sadly at them.
"Usagi is so worried about him, that she can't think of anything else. It's painful seeing her like that," she said.
"That's a real problem. We need Usagi to get serious about being the princess before something bad happens," added Artemis.
"But, you really can't blame her. The one she loves has been taken away from her, and we haven't heard a word about him since then. I totally understand what pain she must be going through," replied Rei.
"Same here, Rei. But, our connection with Usagi is what allows us to feel what she feels. I know why her heart is wounded. Because Queen Beryl took Mamoru away from her, and is now holding him captive just so that she can do something terrible to him," agreed Sora.
"It's highly unusual of you to sympathize with Usagi," Makoto said to the Raven-Haired shrine maiden, remembering how Sora comforted Usagi, and received the blessing of the Phoenix from Rei.
"I know, Mako. But the wound in her heart, mirrors the wound in yours," replied Sora.
"That's right, it may be hard, but we can't let Usagi bear this burden on her own. We have to ask her to share it with us," said Xion.
"Right. I agree that in order to crush the Dark Kingdom's ambitions, we have to get her back on track as a full fledged princess, and we have to do it soon! She needs to use the Silver Crystal!" added Luna.
"There must be something that we can come with that can help her," said Minako.
"You got that right," smirked Axel.
"But what can we do?" asked Roxas.
"Since you guys are so fixated on helping Usagi, I'm gonna patrol the town for a while, and see if I can dig up any information about what the Dark Kingdom plans to do next," said Sora.
He then turned to one of his friends.
"Riku, I'm leaving you in charge while I'm on patrol," Sora told the Silverette.
"Okay… but be careful Sora," said Riku.
"Right. I got this," replied Sora.
Then he walked away, while Minako and Luna looked upon him.
"May your heart be your guiding key," whispered the dark-colored cat.
In her house, Usagi sat in her bedroom, listening to the music box playing it's tune, a deep heaviness weighing down on her like a stone, as the memories of Mamoru teasing her, filled her with tears. She turned to the ad Naru told her about, when Minako and Roxas arrived.
"Oh, I see you're looking at the new ad for the Hair Salon," the second blonde said.
"Minako, Roxas," Usagi said, glancing behind her.
"Hey Usagi," replied Roxas.
"Sorry we called, but there was no answer, so we just came over," added Minako.
"We know you're upset about Mamoru. But his desire to protect you is what gave us strength. But some losses can neither be acceptable, forgivable, nor excusable, as your alter ego, Sailor Moon would say," explained Roxas.
"Hey, I just had a thought that might make you feel better," said Minako.
"Yeah?" replied Usagi.
Minako then allowed Usagi's hair to flow freely after pulling down the buns, and began to brush it, whilst giving her some ideas about other hairstyles, which Usagi agreed upon, and decided to give it a try of her own accord. In the Dark Kingdom's citadel, Kunzite stood over Mamoru's unconscious form, until Queen Beryl called him.
"Queen Beryl," he said, bowing to him.
"We must secure the legendary Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon, no matter what it takes!" Queen Beryl said, her eyes etched with determination.
"Yes, my Queen," replied the warlord.
"Have you been able to figure out who Sailor Moon really is at the moment?" asked Maleficent, who stood beside her.
"Please give me a bit more time," begged Kunzite.
"Blah, blah, blah, Time's a luxury that you can't afford. Do you want Sephiroth to make more examples!?" asked Pete.
"Yes, I'd suggest you double your efforts, find the Silver Crystal, and deliver it to Queen Beryl, so that Metalia will rise again," Sephiroth added darkly, pointing Masamune at Kunzite's chest.
"Understood. My new plan is ready to be put into action," Kunzite said quickly.
The four of them glanced up uncertainly at him.
"This is a strand of hair from Sailor Moon, which I obtained in battle. I intend to find the girl who has matching strands of hair, then I will have uncovered Sailor Moon's true identity," explained Kunzite, revealing the hair strand in his hand.
"Very well, proceed with caution," replied Beryl.
"You can count on me and Kunzite, Beryl. We'll find out who Sailor Moon is or die trying!" Pete said proudly to the dark queen.
In the hair salon, many girls were being pampered and having their hairstyles changed of their own volition, when Usagi and Minako arrived.
'Welcome. Thanks for coming to Hair Salon Kariko, how may I help you?" asked one of the employees.
"I'd like you to take a look at her hair, and see what kind of new style would look best on her," answered Minako.
"Why of course. Oh what beautiful hair, come this way," the salon worker said.
"Okay," Usagi replied hesitantly.
She was soon led to a chair, had a washcloth placed over her face, and began to feel her hair being gently washed, as the stylist took care of her.
"Let me know if I pull your hair or massage your scalp too hard," she said.
"Okay," Usagi's voice was muffled behind the cloth.
Minako stood watching, hoping that she could be cheered up, and be back to her happy-go-lucky self. But what she didn't know was that the worker was one of Kunzite's henchmen, plotting to find out who the real Sailor Moon was, as she read a magazine. But her thoughts were interrupted when another of the workers beckoned her to which she tried to politely decline, but the worker insisted to try the hair steamer. Finally Minako relented, hoping that it could improve her chances of finding someone she liked, even though she developed a tiny crush for Sora.
"Just sit still for a bit," said the worker.
The woman glanced back at the steamer which was actually a scanner, and wondered if Minako was Sailor Moon. to her surprise, the scanners thought it matched, but had no idea, that Minako and Usagi had the same hair color, and assumed that Minako was indeed Sailor Moon. Meanwhile, Sora was walking quietly through the city streets of Juban, wondering what to do next.
"Why would Kunzite take Mamoru captive?" he asked himself.
He was still thinking about what happened at Starlight Tower, when he began to sense that two of his friends were in danger. Pulling out his gummiphone, he contacted the only person he left in charge of his team, Riku.
"Sora, why are you calling us?" he asked.
"Riku, Usagi's in trouble! Gather the others and head to the Hair Salon, immediately!" Sora said, and clicked off the transmitter.
Placing the gummiphone in his pocket, Sora raced to the hair salon that Naru mentioned to him.
"Uh, Miss Kariko, are you finished with my shampoo yet?" Usagi asked.
"I know who you are, you're Sailor Moon," Kariko said, placing her hand on MInako.
MInako cried out in shock, making Usagi look up. Suddenly the workers began spraying the air with canisters filled with darkness, putting everyone to sleep, but Kariko raised a pair of scissors to cut a tiny strand of Minako's hair, and deliver it to Kunzite, while Usagi crawled silently away.
"Come on, hand over the Silver Crystal!" she barked.
'What? What are you talking about?" asked MInako.
"Don't play dumb! My computer says your hair is an exact match, so don't you tell me otherwise!" snapped Kariko.
Suddenly Minako realized that a tiny bit of Usagi's hair got tangled up in her own, when she was brushing it.
"I want that Silver Crystal, and I want it now! If you refuse, I have ways of making you change your mind," Kariko said sadistically.
Minako watched in horror as Kariko changed into a vicious demon, covered in tools that barbers used to give their customers a change in their looks.
"This is horrible. The Dark Kingdom turned Miss Kariko into a monster just so they could get to me! Hold on Minako, don't worry, I'm gonna save you!" hissed Usagi.
Gathering herself, Usagi quickly became Sailor Moon, just in time for Sora to see the flash of light inside the hair salon, and raced inside to see that Minako was in trouble.
"HEY!" shouted Sora.
Hold it right there!" added Sailor Moon.
The creature turned in shock, seeing Sora with his Keyblade held at the ready as he stood beside Sailor Moon.
"That girl isn't Sailor Moon!" they said.
"That's impossible!" she gasped.
"If you think it's impossible, you didn't realize that Minako's hairstyle is different from Sailor Moon's! And that's your first big mistake, you devil!" Sora replied, enraged at seeing Minako in great peril.
"That's right! You offer free haircuts to girls who have little munny, but you don't care about their feelings when you mess with their hearts! That's why the two of us will not forgive such devious monsters! In the name of the Moon, and KIngdom Hearts, we're punishing you!" added Sailor Moon.
"Ha! So you walked on your own, just like a slug, jumping into salt!" scoffed the demonic creature called MItsuami.
"Don't you dare compare us to slugs! Because you've really crossed the line, for the last time!" bellowed Sora.
"Now, I Mitsuami, shall melt you both to glue!" Mitsuami shouted back.
She began firing acid at them, forcing them to dodge out of the way.
"I have to help them," gasped Minako.
"Let me dry your hair, it looks wet!" Mitsuami grinned maniacally, firing more acid at them.
Sailor Moon was aghast as she saw the plants dissolved into nothingness
"Now it's time to shave off all that hair!" Mitsuami said sadistically.
She tried to lunge at her, but Sora blocked the razor with his Keyblade.
"You stupid boy, stand aside!" she shouted.
"Forget it! There's no way you're touching Sailor Moon's hair!" Sora barked back.
Sailor Moon watched as Mitsuami fired several scissors at Sora with what looked like a machine gun, but he deflected them all, before charging right at her. When he did, Mitsuami charged at him as well, her razor clashing with his Keyblade, and the entire salon rang with the thudding of their boots, and the clash of their weapons. Then Sailor Moon, picked up a container of powder, and with a powerful throw, slammed it into Mitsuami's face, temporarily blinding her, as Sora jumped back to the blonde's side, after she pulled out her Moon Stick bearing the Silver Crystal.
"All right, MItsuami! It's time to end this!" they cried out together.
."We're gonna use the Moon Stick and the Keyblade to turn you back into Miss Kariko Tokoyama, the hair designer!" Usagi finished in Sora's place.
She was about to cast Moon Healing Escalation upon her, when a rose sent the weapon out of her hand. Despite this set back, Sailor Moon quickly recovered it, and saw that the rose belonged to Tuxedo Mask. To her shock and surprise, there sitting on the chair was the caped crusader himself, unaware that the rose had turned black, as she wept tears of joy at his return.
"You're mistaken! I'm not Tuxedo Mask," he said, as he stood up.
"What!?" gasped Sora and Sailor Moon.
"I am the commander of the Dark Kingdom, I am Endymion!" the now changed Tuxedo Mask said.
"You gotta be kidding us!" protested Sora.
"Sailor Moon, Hand over the Silver Crystal," replied Endymion.
"What did they do to you?" Sailor Moon asked in shock.
Behind them, Miatsumi charged up her trimmer and turned towards them, ready to shave off a tiny fragment of Sailor Moon's hair, who had to dodge out of the way.
"Mitsuami, retrieve the silver crystal!" commanded Endymion.
Yes sir!" replied Mitsuami.
"Oh no, it can't be," Sailor Moon said in denial.
"I'm afraid it is, Sailor Moon. He's being controlled by the darkness," Sora replied grimmly.
"I'm going to give you such a good trim, you'll never come back for more!" cried Mitsuami.
"Sailor Moon, get out of here! I'll keep her busy!" Sora said.
"Good luck, Sora!" replied Sailor Moon, who quickly retreated out the door.
But Mitsuami trampled over Sora in hot pursuit, while Endymion followed them.
"I need to let all the others know right away! Tuxedo Mask has become an enemy!" Minako said, watching the horrible scene.
"No need, Minako! I've already alerted them," Sora assured her.
Minako smiled at him, then she pulled out her transformation pen.
"Venus Power Make Up!" cried Minako.
Sora watched as Minako was engulfed in Topaz light, as she became Sailor Venus. He had to tell her about his reaction later, but they quickly raced off to find Sailor Moon, as Sora sent up an emergency flare with his Keyblade, and followed the sounds of Sailor Moon's panicked cries for help, until they heard the sound of metal shattering.
"You need to be more careful! You could take somebody's head off with that thing!" cried Sailor Moon.
"Stop wasting time, Mitsuami! Get that Silver Crystal!" shouted Endymion.
"Mamoru! I won't let you take it!" cried Sora.
"Sora!" called Sailor Moon, as he watched him leap over her head, and distract the corrupted Mamoru, while Mitsuami prepared to finish her off.
"Stop right there!" came the sound of several voices.
Everyone glanced to see that Sora and Sailor Moon's friends had arrived.
"All right!" cheered Usagi.
"Just in time!" agreed Sora.
Together they combined their strength and began distracting Miatsumi long enough for Sailor Moon to perform Moon Healing Escalation.
"Now, you guys!" called Sailor Venus.
They nodded in agreement.
"Kariko Tokoyama, It's time for you to face the light!" cried Sora.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" called Sailor Moon.
The combined power soon surged towards Mitsuami and reverted her back into Kariko and the salon workers.
"Tuxedo Mask, I'm so glad you're back, safe and sound!" Sailor Mars said happily.
"No, Sailor Mars, he's being controlled by the darkness," Sora said, standing approaching her.
"He's right, that guy is not the Tuxedo Mask you used to know, believe me. He's now one of the commanders of the Dark Kingdom! He's Endymion!" agreed Sailor Venus.
Poor Rei was heart broken by what she heard.
'No, they're kidding, right?" she asked.
"I'm sorry Rei, but the Mamoru we used to know, is gone. He's just another puppet, as I once was," admitted Riku.
"Very perceptive, Riku. However, roses have many thorns. And you should know that even red roses turn black when they wilt," replied Mamoru.
"If that's what you believe, then we hereby brand you as a traitor to the light!" declared Terra.
"Terra, you don't really mean that, do you?" Rei asked in shock.
"Do you really believe that Mamoru is a traitor?" Ami asked as well.
"I do. Because now that he's defected, he has become just like Xehanort, a Keyblade Master who wanted to take control of Kingdom Hearts, and become a god so that he could erase everything," replied Terra.
"If you say that I'm a traitor, so be it. But hurting young women has never been my style. However, I'm prepared to do what's necessary to get the Crystal," replied Mamoru.
"You know Mamoru, in all honesty, I really thought that you were really a good guy from the very beginning, that we'd beat the Dark Kingdom! But I'll never betray the trust I have with my friends! I believe that everyone still has a strong light inside of their hearts, But right now, you being a bad guy actually sickens me to my core! So if you're willing to fight us to the death, then that can be arranged!" snapped Sora, his eyes etched with anger.
"Sora, no!" cired Sailor Moon.
"BACK OFF! HE'S MINE!" screamed Sora, brandishing his Keyblade.
"Endymion, retreat for now! This is a direct order from Queen Metalia!" Queen Beryl's voice said through his mind.
"Sailor Guardians, Protectors of Kingdom Hearts, your death at my hands has been postponed," Endymion said as he slowly turned around and walked away.
"You coward!" roared Sora.
"A woman's friendship is really fragile, even a slight breeze can make it fall apart, like a flower in the wind. Be careful of that," replied the dark prince.
Then he turned with a flourish of his cape, and walked back through the dark corridor that opened for him. Sora, unable to hold back his rage, looked up at the sky.
"QUEEN BERYL! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!" he screamed.
Back in the Dark Kingdom's lair, Endymion, now dressed in his royal raiments, knelt before Metalia.
"Queen Metalia, why have you called me back?" he asked.
"Endymion, I cannot let you die," replied the dark spirit.
Endymion blinked in confusion.
"It appears that Endymion has become a warrior of the Dark Kingdom, both in body and soul," smirked Beryl, from her throne room.
"Yes, the brainwashing was extremely effective," replied Kunzite.
"But he has no idea of his true potential," conjectured Maleficent.
"True, but now that Endymion has proved he is dedicated to us, we must make good use of his ways to be loyal to us," replied Beryl, who cackled wickedly.
Back in Juban, everyone watched as Kariko and the salon staff were now making girls have unique but different hairstyles after acknowledging the request, but Usagi slowly turned away.
"Miss Kariko was turned into a monster, because of me. If we don't stop the Dark Kingdom, more innocent people like her will suffer. I won't let that happen," explained Usagi.
"Hey, sounds like she's accepting her princess responsibilities," chimed Artemis.
But he spoke too soon.
"Yay! Tuxedo Mask is safe, all is right in my world!" she said happily, making everyone groan, except for Sora, who hugged her.
"I'm glad you're back to your cheerful self, Usagi," he said.
"Thank you, Sora," replied Usagi who hugged him back.
"I don't know Artemis, she sounds pretty much the same to me," Luna said disappointedly.
"Well, I think she's putting on a brave front, in light of everything. At the very least, she's showing that she's grown up, and is moving on," replied the white cat.
"You should, too. You can't let it bother you forever," Makoto said, placing her hand on Rei's shoulder.
"Also, no matter how often you and Usagi infight with each other, your bond will only grow stronger, instead of weaker. But never forget the danger of letting them take advantage of your situation," added Aqua.
"You're right," replied Rei.
"I'm sure that Tuxedo Mask was tricked by the bad guys into thinking he was one of them and then got him in their clutches! And it's up to me to turn him back to normal with my overwhelming power of love!" Usagi said.
"That's right!" agreed Sora.
